"Josh Safran is coming in... and we wanted him to get a chance to... get in there and have an ownership stake in the show," network entertainment president Salke told Entertainment Weekly.

"We wanted him to be able to stand back and have a real creative discussion about what he wants the season to be and be a big part of that."

Salke also hinted that a midseason debut will allow season two of Smash to air uninterrupted.

"If it aired in the fall, it would have so many pre-emptions," she said. "You could never really run more than three or four episodes straight. The midseason schedule will allow a clean run, which is important for a show like Smash, that's very serialized."

Smash star Christian Borle (Tom) recently hinted that the show will undergo a "major... change" next season.

The show's first season finale, 'Bombshell', aired last night (May 14) on NBC. In the UK, Smash airs on Sky Atlantic.